Think of how many times in your life the color Red has been used to signify the bad guy.

In video games, red on your radar means an enemy. It signals an alert. I tend to think a lot of this may have to do with how serious the US took communism in the 1950s.

In Bridge of Spies, we learn the true story of lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who is asked to be the defense attorney of Soviet Spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). Fortunatly, Donovan has shades of Atticus Finch in him: He does it because he knows how important it is to show the law of the United States at work, regardless of the situation the country may be in.

Of course, Abel’s chances are slim to nil, but the film does not just talk about his trial, or even the trade that is to be made for another captured US soldier in the Soviet Union. It is about how, sometimes, just sitting downn and talking can solve problems better than bullets and bloodshed ever could. The film is directed (by Spielberg) with plenty of style and artistry we would come to expect from him, as well as great acting from Hanks and Rylance (and an underappreciated Amy Ryan as Donovan’s wife). My issue with the film is it tends to drag on a bit, and seems really long.

Parents, the film is totally fine for anyone 13 and up (and even mature preteens). There is some swearing (two F bombs are dropped), but that is it. No sexual content of any kind. I say if your kids are studying this period of history in school, it is definetly worth while to take them.